Twitch Announces Native Android Subscribing at an Increased Cost

Twitch has just announced a new way for users of the Twitch App on Android to subscribe! Yet, it comes with a catch.

Android app users will now be able to subscribe directly within the app without having to leave to a mobile web browser to complete their purchases. This will also allow the use of paying with the Google Wallet, along with all of its saved payment methods.

The price of an in-app Android Tier 1 sub will be $5.99. This is a $1.00 increase to subscribing via the web, non-natively through the Twitch App. Twitch explains the change “Google charges a 30% fee for all purchases made through native in-app payments. To ensure that you make the same amount of revenue per Sub, we had to raise the price to make up for the platform fee. Note that just as with any other processing fee, Twitch will share in the responsibility for paying this fee. We are no longer able to keep our in-app browser experience due to policy changes on Android.”

At this time only Tier 1 subscription is available through the application. Yet, Twitch has stated that viewers have the option to subscribe at $4.99 and at all three tiers on their mobile device by using a mobile browser or going directly to streamer’s subs page. If you’re on the Twitch App, and you happen to click on a Twitch Sub Page link, you’ll be directed to the web version.

In short, it seems like the Android Marketplace may have put this pressure on Twitch to make a native way to purchase subscriptions. That way Google can collect royalties. I would encourage Twitch streamers to let viewers on Android about this change and the options they have.

No announcements on the iOS front at this time. Twitch will update if anything changes.